Cooper; hunting; once he's grown

Richie12345 · Sep 13, 2005

^^^mostly what this thread is about

Some of you may have known that I have been interested in taking my dog hunting someday once he's grown. I have some problems tho:

1. I don't have a rifle

2. I can't afford a rifle

3. I'm not old enough to even buy a rifle

4. Need more info about Vizslas and hunting

Maybe if I kiss my dad's butt for the rest of the year he can buy me a really cheap gun, do you think a BB gun can work? That'll be nice

. I also need some info on how I can train my dog to find a bird, and point at it. I know he's just a pup, but I'm interested in learning more. Thanks

P.S. I have to do some more searching but I think there is an area of woods with a lot of pheasants. So that's what I'm planning to hunt. Also, I may post some really stupid things, that's because I am not fully educated in hunting. But I would love to learn more about it.

juliefurry · Sep 13, 2005

Well Hannah has a toy that is like an orange roll with a rope attached. I make her sit and wait and then I'll throw it into the plants by our house and she has to wait until I say ok before she can retrieve it. So maybe find a toy like that and get the scent of a pheasant or whatever on it and have him follow it. I think they learn how to point by themselves though, but he has to be taught how to track it or something. I don't know my job is a little easier I'm just teaching her how to retrieve the game. My friend's dad was teaching their German Shorthair to hunt and he had a little toy that had feathers that he used for their dog to teach her how. A BB gun MIGHT work if you plan on shooting the bird a bunch of times. It could wound the bird enough to keep it on the ground but unless you get a lucky shot you may need to shoot it a few times. Although I have shoot a bird, and numerous ground squirrels, and killed them all in one shot while using a BB gun.

Richie12345 · Sep 13, 2005

I've been good when it comes to aim, my friend has a bunch of air soft guns and I always seem to do good... but maybe that's just airsoft...

I'll try buying a toy with feathers, and find any way I can put a pheasant scent on it. I recently found out that pointing comes naturally later in life in another thread... that stinks...

juliefurry · Sep 13, 2005

I think they may sell a pheasant scent that you can spray on those or something (but I do give you permission to beat me if I'm wrong). Although maybe if they use pheasant feathers they will already smell like a pheasant. I would ask my husband's friend how he taught his dog to track and stuff but he said his dog just learned all by himself. Is your dog going to retrieve the pheasants as well. If he is you need to make sure he handles them with a really soft mouth. That is something that we have to work on with Hannah because whenever she gets her retrieving toy she will chomp on it and thinks it's the greatest toy to play tug of war with. So make sure he is very gentle with the toy you teach him with so he will be gentle later on when you take him hunting.

Richie12345 · Sep 13, 2005

No, he doesn't play tug a war, but he does try to "kill" it by trying to rip it apart, I have to get his attention then he would bring it back to me

juliefurry · Sep 13, 2005

I guess you have to make sure he doesn't do that and he learns how to handle it gently. That's really all I know about teaching dogs to hunt though, and I am going off of what my husband's friend has told me (he is really big into hunting). He wants to try and take hannah hunting with him when she gets a little older so I am trying to train her and he is trying to help me. He said labs are instinctive retrievers though and that is something that you really don't have to teach them (which I think is true because Hannah was retrieving at 8 weeks and we didn't teach her how).

filarotten · Sep 13, 2005

Hey Richie I found this online. maybe it would help you.

[/U]www.gundogwupply.com/jemoafscretr.html

smkie · Sep 13, 2005

if your going to hunt him you do not want to wait until he is grown to teach him..you need a wing..see if there are any hunters around that will give you one, a fishing pole and some line..there is a magazine called POINTERS that has excellent (most of the time..i hate their views on force training) beginners technique. He will also have to learn to differentiate between good birds and lets see what are all the things Vic loves to point..cats, mice, rabbits, squirrels, bugs, hehehe i have that magazine around here somewhere i will try to find it later today.

qwkslvr · Sep 13, 2005

I am surprised that cooper likes to tear up his toys?!?!!

. You must not play tug of war with him when you play. When he retrieves make him drop the toy at your feet or in your hand. My Vizsla Otis, now will put the toy in my hands and then sit to start the fetching game all over again. You can purchase a training dummy and even pheasant scent. Do not give him the dummy to play with like his regular toys. The dummy is only for working cooper. I wouldn't worry about not having a gun quite yet, some trainers have said that they don't start gun training until they are a little older ( 1 year). But I will tell that there are so many different theories of how to train a gun dog it is scary. I am in the process of my research at this time. My goal is to get Otis to become a Master Hunter and also get him into field trails. If I come up with a book and training manual that I feel is not mean to the dogs I will let you know. Vizsla's must not be trained by the hand! To many trainers think that hitting a dog is OK! If you hit a vizsla you will basically ruin them, they are so very sensitive! All I have to say to Otis now when his being bad is "Do I have to squirt you?" It's funny cause he loves the water, but there is something about the squirt bottle that gets him.

smkie · Sep 13, 2005

Victor was a shred man when he first came..we had many discussions as i picked up stuffing and said "oh oh ..now look what you did..now you can't have it oh my what a NO NO you did!" the whole time looking sad and mad. Then his toy went on top of the fridge for "repair" it took about 2 weeks but now he never ever tears them up. Even when mary and he play tug they are gentle.
Victor was pointing at 5 months. There is a pic in my gallery of him and that was when i first brought him home. So you won't have long to wait!

Richie12345 · Sep 13, 2005

smkie said:

if your going to hunt him you do not want to wait until he is grown to teach him..you need a wing..see if there are any hunters around that will give you one, a fishing pole and some line..there is a magazine called POINTERS that has excellent (most of the time..i hate their views on force training) beginners technique. He will also have to learn to differentiate between good birds and lets see what are all the things Vic loves to point..cats, mice, rabbits, squirrels, bugs, hehehe i have that magazine around here somewhere i will try to find it later today.

I'll check that magazine out, also, I am thinking about getting "Gundogs"... but maybe "Pointers" will be better

Richie12345 · Sep 13, 2005

filarotten said:

Thanks Filarotten

Zoom · Sep 13, 2005

Good luck with all that and the only concern I have is whether or not Coop will be gun shy. A friend of mine hunts his GSP quite a bit and his breeder was constantly firing guns off from the day the pups were born to acclimate them to the sound. Good luck!

Richie12345 · Sep 13, 2005

Zoom said:

Well the breeder bred for the quality of a hunting dog... so I guess maybe Coop heard some gunshots when he was with the breeder.

Zoom · Sep 14, 2005

Hopefully it will have stuck with him...

Hey, this is going to be my 999th post and your answer will be your 2,999th post...I'm going to go make a "breaking the mark" thread so the post after that will be your 3,000th!

Richie12345 · Sep 14, 2005

Zoom said:

Awesome, I won't post anything until you make that thread

Zoom · Sep 14, 2005

Done and can you tell I'm bored and don't want to go to bed yet?

Richie12345 · Sep 14, 2005

Zoom said:

yes

filarotten · Sep 14, 2005

Richie...i hope that link helped I know it cost a few dollars, but hopefully it will help. My lst husband( he died in 1984)sent his yellow lab to training school, and my son's best friend also. However, these were labs. I think cooper has a really great chance just has not had the opportunity to show his stuff. If you were closer you could bring coop over and he could show what he has. We have rabbits, squirrels, and occasionally racoons and skunks. Try to keep mine away from the skunks though. G do they stink. Anyway check out the link if it sounds what you are looking for. I will help you, if you need it, just let me know. Linda

Richie12345 · Sep 14, 2005

Thank you Linda

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